Historic Treasure of the Week - July 25, 1982
By Patricia F. Engelland
Museum Assistant, Vigo County Historical Society
Historic Treasure of the Week - July 25, 1982
By Patricia F. Engelland
Museum Assistant, Vigo County Historical Society
One of the treasures in the costume collection of the Vigo County Historical Society is this dress and bonnet worn before and during the Civil War period.
This outfit was sewn by hand with fine stitches. The fabric is challis with a green floral stripe print accented with gold, russet and red colors. Green ribbon has been applied bringing out the print of the bodice; small porcelain buttons with centers of gold are set along the front closing with hooks and eyes underneath.
The fullness in the middle of the sleeves is gained by stitching down the pleating at the shoulder and cuff lines. Wooden stays in the brown lining of the bodice and the hoop under the skirt give the fashionable form of the 1850s.
The poke bonnet, typical of the period, is a braided straw with a taffeta ruffle at the back neck setion; gold threads decorate the crown. Clusters of white cloth flowers complete the edge of the bonnet with a row of pink rose buds tucked in next to the face. Accessories include a green silk collapsible parasol with a wide fringe and carved bone trims on the tips and two pairs of lace mitts.
As part of this 1959 accession, Zoe Chaney Bays (Mrs. Lee F. Bays) of Sullivan, Indiana, gave a framed picture of one of her ancestors wearing this dress. The outfit and picture will be featured this week in the north room of the Historical Museum of the Wabash Valley, 1411 South Sixth Street. The museum is open from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday through Friday.